Winner
by Pleiadesmemoir
Summary: A new mission, with new beginnings. AkuRoku
1. Reprieve from Appearences

Chapter 1 –Reprieve from Appearances

Author's note: The short first chapter to my first fic. …I promise it's not real angst-y the way it might seem.

Disclaimer: You guys know I don't own Kingdom Hearts or any of the characters, locations, or plot devices therein, right?

An unusual silence dwelt amongst the halls of Castle Oblivion one overcast winter's night; with the ruckus from the rest of the World That Never Was subtly rallying and rescinding in the background. Normally, laughter, shouting, and all manner of other commotion would seem to be emanating from around every corner, playing off of the cavernous interiors until met by another sound that would be carried in its place.

However, not on this odd evening.

The enormous structure that was sparsely populated at the best of times, tonight, lay dormant, and almost empty. The only source of noise was an ever present backdrop to the scenes that were played out quite sincerely by the nobodies that inhabited the massive building: it was the omniscient hum of the rest of the world.

This particular, lonely, dusk, when the collective scheming and horseplay of the rest of the organization was painfully absent, Roxas leaned from an open window, stopping for once to observe the ominous droning from the endless expanse of urban sprawl laid out before him. His home normally contained so much character… Where was it now? What was missing? He suddenly tensed, then grunted rhetorically to himself, shifting his thin frame to a more comfortable leaning stance on the sill. Why did he care? Like he was ever a part of it… No, scratch that, not that he ever _bothered_ to be a part of it. A sigh passed his lips as he attempted to abandon the complexity of the previous thoughts and simply relax. With eyes now shut, he tried to imagine the weekend alone with Axel. A smirk of at least Zexion's caliber crossed his mouth slowly. Roxas was only just getting into his own fantasies when he sensed the quick flickering of neon cross his face. It brought him, quite unwillingly, back to reality.

The blonde boy looked out, as far as he could see.

"It's so… present, but yet so… empty,"

he muttered quietly to himself.

If he had been a whole being, a deep cyst of emotion would have undoubtedly welled up suddenly within Roxas. A veritable cavalcade of emotion, grief, fear, glee, nostalgia, and a throbbing sort of tenderness certainly would cascade over him in stages.

The mere fact that he could analyze it all from a distance reminded him that he was not.

"And so much for escapism," he thought;

A stray teardrop glistened for a moment in the corner of his eye, bathed in the neon lights cast from below. It began to roll with gathering momentum down his smooth, angular cheek He allowed it to continue, savoring every moment. The tear made it seem like he could still genuinely feel. He shut his eyes. It caught for just a moment on his jaw-line, and dangled, suspended for just a second. Then, as if purposely wrenching itself away, it fell down to the cold, clinical floor. The sight transfixed his gaze for some time, that is, until the entire room was cast into blackness…


	2. Welcome Revelations

Notes: Chapter the second; a tad longer this go around. *If there is a correct spelling of "bac-y" (bacon, minus the -on, plus the -ey sound) then I am unaware of it. *

Disclaimer: If I owned this game, Kingdom Hearts, its characters, locations, or various other plot devices, then it wouldn't be a "fan"fic, would it? ...Just a fic (I don't own it, by the way)

Chapter 2- Welcome Revelations

The entire room was cast into blackness. The sudden shift drew Roxas quickly from the sight on the floor back to the world at hand. Without really meaning to, he let out a small gasp.

Where the skyline had stood moments before, there was now a looming figure, casting an imposing shadow over him and the length of his bedroom. The man crouched on the windowsill, coming eye level to him. The intruder leaned forward, and, as the cold wafted in around him, his breath started to surround Roxas. Its scent lured Roxas in with a familiar, gaseous finesse. Two arms reached upward toward the man's head, ready to place an identity to the pure black void that was his face.

As the stranger removed the black hood shielding him from the cold, his head seemed to come ablaze with brilliant crimson spikes, outlining startling emerald eyes that glinted even in the dim light cast from behind.

"Axel…" Roxas could barely half whisper, he was so overwhelmed.

"Ha, did I scare you? Huh, did I?" Axel seemed to take too much pleasure in scaring the daylights out of Roxas, which was painfully evident as he rocked back and forth on his heels, while he spoke in a low sing-song voice.

"No, Y- … Wh- What are you doing here? Xemnas put you out on duty, right?"

Roxas' voice was a tad higher than he wished it had sounded at that moment.

"Well I had some-"

Axel suddenly squinted and leaned in closer studying Roxas' face.

"… Have you been crying?"

Roxas cast his gaze downward, slowly. The tension in the room grew exponentially.

"Oh, uh- it's nothing" he lied, quite unskillfully. He tried to think of an excuse, but his brain didn't seem to think as readily around Axel…he was always a bit too preoccupied.

Axel only stared back with a disbelieving expression. Roxas could feel two lovely green eyes boring into his face, studying and prying.

Seeing that he would get nothing further, Axel sighed and nimbly hopped from the sill down to the floor and began to stroll about the room. Roxas couldn't keep from staring. All his movements seemed so fluid and graceful; it almost embarrassed him.

"Well, I wanted to come see you, naturally. Is that so bad?" He gave Roxas a dry look as he continued pacing.

"No, no I mean… just if you had woken one of the others…"

"Relax," Axel replied in the velvety, saccharine tone that only he could produce. He made a circle and came behind Roxas, putting his hands on his shoulders, "You and I both know there's no one else here. Besides, if it makes you feel better Mr. Worry-wart, I'm also here on official business".

Roxas shivered at the feeling of Axel's long, sinewy arms embracing him. He wished that he could have that wonderful anxious feeling all the time. He waited until it had nearly passed to speak: "What do I have to do?"

"Uh-uh,"

Axel pulled him closer and spoke even softer, into his ear

"Not you; what WE have to do."

Roxas could hardly believe what he had heard,

"What? You mean we're on a mission…Together?!"

"Uh-huh,"

Axel suddenly spun Roxas around to face him,

"You and me, Hollow Bastion, tomorrow at dawn. Got it memorized?"

He smiled his alluring broad grin. Roxas was so shocked he didn't know what to say. The Organization hardly ever sent out pairs on assignment. Even further, the fact that he and Axel got picked …they were unbelievably lucky.

Roxas began to beam right back,

"That's incredible!"

The excitement played all over his face, and his azure eyes lit up despite the murky interior. Axel noticed that Roxas carried a glow with him from the pale moonlight streaming from the open window and his sudden excitement.

He was so…

Beautiful…

Without warning, Roxas felt Axel pull him wildly into a deep embrace, and then kiss him passionately. His lips dominantly forced themselves upon his, eagerly awaiting response. Roxas was so taken aback by the sudden display that his eyes widened in surprise. But, as he felt two comforting arms around him and a steady heartbeat against his chest, Roxas slowly shut his eyes and sank into Axel. Together, the two retreated from the kind illumination of the moonlight, into the sanctity of the darkness, and Roxas realized that nothing was really missing from the World.

* * *

An indignant assault of noise greeted The Key of Destiny the following morning, much earlier than he would have liked. The sound washed over him, quite aptly, in waves of calm rhythm, interjected by harsh, up-tempo melodies. Quite contrary to the audio of the previous evening, this sound had a more concrete, more easily silenced source…

"Wakey, wakey, eggs n' bac-y, Roxas!" Demyx's voice cooed from the safe vantage point of the room's threshold.

"Just. Don't. Move… don't move and it will all go away" Roxas thought, head buried face-down in his pillow. He pawed at the sheets around him, becoming painfully aware of the absence of a warm body beside him. He sighed into the mattress, wanting nothing more than to drift back off into a carefree slumber with Axel beside him…

"This is my new number, d'you like it?"

Well, maybe he'd want that AND for Demyx's sitar to spontaneously combust, but beggars can't be choosers.

He couldn't have slept for more than a few hours… coupled with last evening… Well that was no rest to begin a mission on, certainly.

From this sleep-deprived revelation came a resolve within Roxas. He WOULD sleep; he WOULD block out that wretched racket.

This however, came to no avail. It only seemed to get louder and louder, driving Roxas up the proverbial wall.

To get the morning started on an even better note (pun fully intended), from some far off, undesirable place, past the comforter overhead, came the sound of a huffing Demyx.

A quick note on this issue:

A Demyx that pouts, folks, is a Demyx about to get his way. Through sheer force of whit, will, or whine, (in increasing order of likelihood) the moody Demyx will present an unrelenting front of unpleasant, culminating in the fulfillment of its wish. In poor Roxas's case, this front entailed the Melodious Nocturne's new single…self titled, naturally.

Roxas took a deep breath:

"I'm up…"

A shout of glee echoed across the walls of Roxas's room, following the two words that Demyx wanted to hear. The voice was groggy and exceedingly irritated, but apparently satisfying all the same.

Roxas forced his eyes open, then winced as his feet hit the icy floor in the midst of hoisting himself off of the bed.

Despite the rude awakening, Roxas had to provide himself a small grin. Today WOULD be great. Fluttering anticipation was already gathering in his chest; their mission… The grin widened further as he made his way across the chamber, to the bathroom. He stepped inside, turned around to shut the door… and was met by the goofy countenance of his morning antagonist.

"Well, you never did answer my question: What did you think of the song?"

Roxas's grin made an abrupt 180, only, that is, until the soothing grain of solid white oak replaced Demyx's face as quickly as it had appeared.

"Yes sir…today will be great."


	3. They Dine

Author's Note: Here she is, chapter three.

Disclaimer:

_Act I, scene I. Curtain opens onto a word document. _

Pleiades: Hello rights to Kingdom Hearts, characters, locations, and plot devices!

Rights: I'm not yours, leave!

_Curtain Falls _

Chapter 3- They Dine

The delicate clatter of silverware against china daintily interjected the faint clamor of breakfast in the castle's dining hall that morning. A monolithic, stark-white marble table dominated the focus of the room, aided by 13 throne-like chairs surrounding it, each tailored to a specific constituent. Several plates of breakfast lay upon the plane, coercing aromatic displays of fresh produce and fluffy pancakes into the air. As it happened, one of the partakers of the morning meal was exceedingly interested in the mathematics presented by his breakfast…

"Descending integers," he thought, lazily. "Four places are set at the table this morning, with three meals half eaten. Two of us are left here now, and there's one person here with whom I'm inescapably smitten."

Zexion continued to ponder, whilst noiselessly munching on a strawberry and growing exponentially more uninterested in what his remaining dining companion had to say. Axel's speech wavered in and out of focus, as the succulent fruit haphazardly made its way past his tongue. He savored the tartness of the juice with closed eyes, slowly growing more and more eager for the redhead's departure.

"Right, Zexion?"

Normally arrogant eyes shot open, betraying only for a moment some guilty inattentiveness. Gone in a flash, it was replaced by a dark, academic creativity, infamous within the walls of Castle Oblivion.

"Perhaps Axel… perhaps."

A quick glance to the left told him that this response had been satisfactory. Sometimes it seemed as though Axel spoke to fill a void. In Zexion's opinion, silence was heavily undervalued in the castle.

The sound of a far off door opening and shutting presented a golden opportunity to re-capture his mental seclusion

"Ah, if I'm not mistaken, I believe that our chef has returned from taming the beast."

As he spoke, the sullen clunk of heavy boot-clad footfalls could be heard growing louder, descending the relatively unassuming staircase leading into the room.

"Well, well, is number XIII ready for the miss-"

Zexion's statement was unfortunately cut short by the sight presented before him, and the subsequent earth-shattering silence… followed by earth-shattering laughter.

Standing before the two of them was a Demyx never before seen.

Lanky form hanging in a livid state of defeat, one side of Demyx's face was nearing the color of the strawberry speared on Zexion's fork. A bruise of sizeable proportion was also beginning to develop on his cheek, with a lovely shiner to match. He stood, fuming, on the landing, silently absorbing the inevitable salt-in-the-wound of Axel's laughter. Zexion was caught in a half risen state of shock, fury, and admittedly, some bemusement himself

"Demyx, what on earth,"

He began, but was interrupted by Axel.

"Obviously Roxy's not in an 'eggs n' 'bacy' mood this morning, eh Demyx," came the sole comfort from the Fury of Dancing Flames.

"Hmph!"

Directing his present rage at Axel, Demyx summoned a glare which, on anyone with feeling in the left half of his or her face, would have been positively withering. This was promptly met with another outburst from Axel, and something of a hacking cough from Zexion.

After realizing this was to no avail, Demyx retreated across the room to the seat beside Zexion, as the dying echoes of Axel's laughter proceeded further into the Castle. Obviously seeking some sort of vindication, Demyx gave Zexion a pleading look…or so the silver-haired man thought.

Rather than the solace he sought, Demyx was met with ill-solicited inquisition.

"What on Earth happened to you?"

Zexion asked slowly, carefully masking any previous emotion.

Apparently astonished that Roxas's death warrant was not being composed before him, Demyx began a pouty rebuttal, but was cut short by the icy tone of his companion. "Don't start," spoke Zexion with deceptive serenity, "just answer me."

"Sniff…Little Ba'th'ard 'thlammed the door in my face…"

"More like on your face!"

…Axel had impeccable timing. He was promptly silenced with by the visage of an intensely irritated Zexion.

"Oh don't gimme the look Zexy… Roxas just didn't get much sleep."

"…"

This remark was met less with the monotone agreement Axel had been looking for, and more with curious glances of two suddenly-intrigued nobodies.

"And just, how would _you_ know that Axel… you were on detail last night, as I recall it." Zexion articulated the wonder of both himself and Demyx, with one manicured eyebrow slightly cocked and coy smirk on deck.

"Oh, well, I mean, probably, y' know… with how he gets…" Looking much more uncomfortable than was rightly allowed for a man who, moments before, had been giggling uncontrollably at the pain of others, Axel dodged the question as tactlessly as was possible. It was indeed, a long way down from the top of the world.

"Oh, no, please, do go on."

Zexion's drollest tone could still manage to be harsh and unforgiving.

"Well, it's like, just… with no one else here…assuming…"

Axel stumbled over his reply again.

_  
Damn it all, why can't I think straight?! Zexion's going to fry my ass.  
_

Though his thoughts were articulate, nothing more than mumbles came from the normally smart mouth of the Organization. Scratching his neck in a nervous gesture, Axel sat mute.

"My, my Axel," cooed Zexion, as the redhead squirmed farther back into his seat, "you wouldn't happen to be… no couldn't be, right Demyx?"

As he peeked from over the grand inquisitor's shoulder, Axel saw that Demyx was beginning to regain some of the normal color in his face, which wore an over-enthused grin.

It seemed as though the two kept inching closer and closer, smiles growing larger with every move. "Don't lie to your superior, number VIII", Zexion crowed in an ambiguous tone as he ran a gloved hand through his feathery silver locks, "it would be in the best interest of you both to speak now."

Though, this obviously was what he hoped Axel would do least. Making a true fool out of the resident joker was just _too_ satisfying

He gave Axel several more seconds to respond. In that short time, the eyes of the hunter and the hunted locked. A dismayed scowl clouded Axel's brilliant green eyes, and apt fire emanated from his frown. He gave Zexion a small, infinitesimal shake of the head; a gesture so unnoticeable that anyone lacking the perception of the cloaked schemer would have failed to pick up on it…

Zexion could only smirk all the wider

Social blood-lust in his eyes, he went in for the kill "Axel, give it to us straight, are you Roxas f-"

For the second time that morning Zexion was rudely interrupted by the arrival of another to the dining hall.

Arms outstretched in an indulgent yawn, Roxas unexpectedly emerged from around the bend in the stairs. Without skipping a beat, he quietly took the seat next to Axel. Giving out nondescript good-mornings to two of the three at the table, he promptly laid into the breakfast before him.

Demyx's good eye twitched involuntarily.

Before giving the situation a chance to escalate, Zexion made the choice to retract his previous statements, and prudently laid a gentle hand on Demyx's shoulder. Demyx immediately turned his head, a defiant, puzzled look on his face. He opened his mouth, but was silence by a small shake of a grey head. Shut out for the second time that morning, Demyx sat back in his chair and began to push his eggs around his plate.

The rest of the meal was carried out in relative silence, reverting to the tinkling of silverware against china; Zexion brooding, Demyx pouting, Axel breathing a sigh of relief, and Roxas in an oblivious morning fuzz.

Drama, amusement, breakfast, and, to top it off, quiet.

Zexion wouldn't have had breakfast any other way.


End file.
